Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister wants the National Fatwa Council to come out with a fatwa (decree) on Tok Guru Nik Aziz’s alleged statement that Umno people are not going to heaven. While we are at it can the Council also come out with a fatwa on Muhyiddin’s involvement in the biggest land scam in Malaysian history -- second maybe to the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal? Can crooks and robbers go to heaven?

The National Fatwa Council and ulamas (Islamic scholars) have been asked to clarify the latest allegations by PAS spiritual adviser Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat that Umno practised a false Islam and that its members would not be able to go to heaven.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said it was better that ulamas evaluated the allegations by Nik Aziz and gave their views as to whether Nik Aziz was right or his views were contrary to the religion, and advise what action needed to be taken.

"I have mentioned before all kinds of fatwas (decrees) will be made by the opposition. Now with the Permatang Pasir by-election taking place, I have been proven right.

"Although I understand Islam, any statement I make will be interpreted in a political angle. In this matter, I do not want to resort to politics. This is about religion, faith and religious doctrines.

"It's better the National Fatwa Council and ulamas make a decision on this (allegations by Nik Aziz). The faster, the better," he told reporters after launching the book Buku Evolusi Kepimpinan authored by Prof Khairil Annas Jusoh here today.

Muhyiddin said this when asked to comment on the allegations made by Nik Aziz in Penang yesterday.

He added that Nik Aziz, as a person knowledgeable in Islam, should not make such statements but this was not something new from him.

"He (Nik Aziz) makes all sorts of statements which to me, are often in conflict with Islam," he said, adding that if PAS claimed to practice politics based on Islam, its leaders should advise Nik Aziz "not to shoot his mouth off".

"This is not good for Islam, and all this while we (Umno) have shown our willingness to cooperate to develop the country, in the interests of Muslims and the spirit of unity.

"Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Umno have stated this but in a situation like this, political allegations in the guise of religion complicates things. As such, I leave it to him (Nik Aziz) to think what he should do," he said. — Bernama

Stamford Holdings Sdn. Bhd. has sued Muhyiddin Yassin, chief minister of the Johor state, and businessmen Yahya Talib and Syed Mokhtar Albukhary for damages for alleged conspiracy in acquiring land in Johor through the Land Acquisition Act, the Bernama national news agency reported Friday.

According to Bernama, Stamford Holdings claimed the three had abused provisions of the Act to acquire its 6,600 acres of land through the Johor State Islamic Economic Development Corporation.

The suit was filed at the Kuala Lumpur High Court early this month but was transferred Friday to the Johor Baru High Court, Bernama said.

Stamford Holdings also named the Johor state government as a defendant in the suit, alleging that Muhyiddin and the two businessmen conspired to use the state government's authority to acquire the land.

According to the news report, Stamford Holdings wants the court to declare that the Johor State Islamic Economic Development Corporation was not entitled to invoke provisions of the Land Acquisition Act to acquire a private landed property.

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The Privileged Few By Murray Hiebert, Far Eastern Economic Review, 6 July 1995

Stamford's court documents insist that the company's relationship with the former chief minister dates back to 1988. Four years earlier, the firm had tried to develop some of its huge land holdings near the state capital of Johor Baru. But Stamford couldn't get approval for its project until its directors met two men who were allegedly Muhyiddin's business partners, Syed Mokhtar Albukhary and Datuk Yahaya Tabib.

The two arranged a meeting in Singapore between the firm's representatives and the former chief minister, the firm's documents allege. Within a year, Stamford and the three men had formed a 70-30 joint venture to develop some 724 hectares of land. When the property was sold in 1994, the Muhyiddin group's initial investment of M$1.8 million ($735,000) had soared to M$83 million.

In the meantime, Muhyiddin's group had become "very avaricious," according to the documents Stamford filed in court, and wanted to form a second joint venture in which they would control 70% of the shares but would pay Stamford only M$74,100 per hectare for its remaining 2,672 hectares, company officials charge.

When Stamford insisted on retaining its original 70% and on being paid M$185,250 per hectare for its property, one of Muhyiddin's associates allegedly warned the company that the land-acquisition papers were on the former chief minister's desk and could be "signed at any time." Muhyiddin himself allegedly threatened Stamford in December 1992 by telling one of its directors that "time is getting short." In July 1994, the state government acquired the land on behalf of the Johor Islamic Economic Development Corp.

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Malaysian Company Continues Suit Challenging State Acquisition of Land By Raphael Pura, The Wall Street Journal, 16 June 1995

In 1984, Stamford -- which is 90% owned by three families, the Singapore-based Seet family, and the Gan and Wang families from Malaysia -- applied to the Johor government for permission to develop a light industrial estate on part of the land. Stamford, in its suit, claims nothing happened until 1988. Then, Stamford directors met businessmen Syed Mokhtar and Datuk Yahaya, who said they were Tan Sri Muhyiddin's "close friends and business associates," according to the Stamford suit.

According to Stamford's court submission, the company in late 1989 agreed with Syed Mokhtar and Datuk Yahaya, "acting for themselves and [Tan Sri Muhyiddin]," to create a joint-venture company to develop 1,766 acres of Stamford's property. The Johor trio, led by Syed Mokhtar, invested 1.8 million ringgit in the joint venture, taking 30% of its equity; Stamford held the remainder. The joint-venture company acquired the property from Stamford and submitted a fresh application to convert it to industrial use. The Johor government then approved the conversion "speedily," Stamford says in its suit in which it also alleges that the Mokhtar group "made a clean profit of 83.2 million."

According to Stamford, the Mokhtar group in 1992 approached Stamford's directors, proposing to develop the remaining 6,520 acres of Stamford's Johor property. This time, Stamford alleges, the group insisted on taking a 70% equity stake in a new joint venture and proposed that Stamford's land be sold to the venture at 30,000 ringgit an acre. Stamford protested that it wanted to hold 70% of the venture and should be paid more than twice that price for the land.

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Land case settled for RM405 millionBy JOTHI JEYASINGAM, The Sun, 7 October 1999

The land acquisition civil suit filed by a firm against the Johor government and several other parties was settled today for a total of RM405 million.

The High Court ordered Stamford Holdings Sdn Bhd to be paid the amount for the acquisition of 6,544 acres of land belonging to it.

The consent order was given by Justice Zainun Ali in chambers.

Under the settlement, the Johor government is to pay the plaintiff RM313.25 million while Kelana Ventures Sdn Bhd was ordered to pay RM92.12 million.

Datuk V. Sivaparanjothi and Manjit Singh appeared for the plaintiff while Datuk Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahim appeared for the Johor State Government, Johor Baru Land Administrator and former Mentri Besar Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

The judge further ordered that all the civil suits, civil appeals and miscellaneous civil applications by the plaintiff be settled and disposed of.

The compensation sum of RM313.25 million is to be deposited in the High Court by or on behalf of the Land Administrator to be paid out to Stamford.

The additional sum of RM92.11 million is to be paid to Stamford by Kelana Ventures, which is one of the interveners/defendants in the case.

The payment is to be made in settlement of the compulsory acquisition of the Stamford properties by the Land Administrator on behalf of Kelana Ventures before the expiry of 18 months from the date of the consent order.

The dispute between Stamford and the defendants involved the whole of the Stamford properties in the mukim of Tebrau, Johor Baru District and involved a total of 6,544.4172 acres which were compulsorily acquired.